Treasure Map

In nearly every sport, hobby, or lifestyle, they say the hardest part is getting started. Becoming self reliant is no different. And it’s not like there’s only one way to get there, either, but here’s what I think is the easiest way to get into self reliance.

Nail Down a “Why” That Works For You

In my very first post on this blog, I wrote about the reasons I want to become self reliant. That’s stuff that works for me. I don’t know what works for you. I do know that without a compelling vision of what a “self reliant life” is, you will never achieve it. So spend some time while you’re driving to work really considering why you want to be more self reliant and what that would mean to you.

Here’s some ideas that may fit into your complete vision of why you want self reliance.

  1. Be free of debt.
  2. Have food and water in times of emergency.
  3. Have the first aid skills to save a life if you ever witness an accident.
  4. Free up more time to be with your family and friends.
  5. Build up a reserve of cash to lean on if you ever lose your job.
  6. Live a healthier life.
  7. Go to the doctor less.
  8. Leave a legacy to your kids and grandkids.
  9. Fix the toilet when it breaks at 11:00 pm.
  10. Own your own home.
  11. Grow a garden.
  12. Eat better.
  13. Learn to think for yourself, and not be taken in by every passing fad.
  14. Understand how things work.
  15. Be safe from home invasion or robbery.

It help to write down your “why” and look at it from to time.

Get a Grip on Your Finances

Until you really start to get into this stuff, the one resource (other than your brain) you will need most is money. You will always be in debt if you don’t start doing something.

Getting your financial life in order makes all sorts of other preparations possible. Once you cut the crap spending out, and start saving, you can really start preparing for the future, whatever it holds. Whatever you need to buy, be it guns, garden equipment, water purification stuff, a decent vehicle – it is all impossible to get unless you fix your finances.

Here’s a couple of articles to get you started…

… and a couple of books to check out:

Start Getting New Skills

There’s all sorts of benefits to learning new skills. New cooking skills can help you save money and eat healthier. New fix-it skills can get your car back on the road quickly. New martial arts skills can get you fit and protect you in a pinch. New canning skill can help you waste less.

There are many skills that are money-saving or fun or relaxing or just plain cool. (sidenote: TV watching is not a skill.) Here’s a quick article on learning a new skill.

And here are some books that have helped me build new self reliance skills recently:

Here’s what I’m Doing

For starters, I found my “why” for being self reliant. Now, I’ve been gathering books and reading up on self reliance topics that interest me. Financially, my wife and I are redoing our budget (again) in hopes we can make things more simple and easy to follow.